Derek, the Mate and the Maze
by PopePrincess
Summary: Sterek set in an AU where werewolves aren't in hiding, and Laura is still alive. Mentions underage!Stiles and knotting. Ficlet 3,000 words.


Derek, the Mate and the Maze

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Okay headcanon math that may be useful: Derek and Stiles had sex for the first time after Stiles seduced him, not at all gracefully, when Stiles was 16 and 11 months. They'd been together for a year, so Stiles was 17 and 11 months when important werewolf type things started to happen. So after that, they have to wait a month before Stiles is 18. Hope that helps a little bit.

Author's note: I'm putting up a lot of ficlets I've got stashed on my computer that I'm never going to get around to polishing. That's one of the reasons it is unbetaed and sort of disjointed. Hope you enjoy :-]

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…

Stiles is freaking out. Well... Stiles freaking out is sort of the norm. But right now he's freaking out on a whole other level.

"It's okay," Laura smiles. She reaches out to rub his arm and then pulls her hand back, smiling apologetically.

The sheriff is smiling in what Stiles is sure to be a reassuring way, but looks more like a grimace. His dad has been close-lipped about the whole thing and has seemed to be on the verge of saying something the whole month. He'd randomly ask Stiles, "He makes you happy, right?" and when Stiles shrugged and nodded, he'd mutter, "Then that's all that matters."

"Why have you never mentioned this thing about Mates to me before!?" Stiles scowls as he continues pacing.

"Well," Sheriff Stilinski tilts his head. "Uh… the last time it happened was, uh, well, the last time a Mate Ceremony occurred and a couple got werewolf-married, was when Laura… with Mitchell." Alpha Laura smiles proudly, looking into the middle distance dreamily. "And you were 14 at the time. And I didn't think it was necessary for you to know…"

"Before that, it was our older brother Colin with Henrietta," chimes in Laura. "And also my Aunt Rachel with Harvey. Those were years ago, though." Her face goes slightly pinched. "Before the fire."

"I hear your parents' was quite romantic," John Stilinski says.

"Oh, yes. It was one of my favourite night-time stories as a child."

Stiles makes a face like 'ew'.

"They left out the adult parts," Laura rolls her eyes. "But how there was all of the others gathered around, and my mum ignored all of them and headed straight for my dad. It's the quickest time for any Beacon Hills Werewolf Mating Ceremony." Laura tilts her head and sighs. "I can't believe it's my baby brother's turn."

"Uh-huh." Stiles concentrates on his breathing. Breathe in, hold, breath out, hold. Because that's the problem isn't it? What is Derek doesn't pick him? Stiles stops pacing and doubles over, trying to find some calm so this doesn't blow into a full-on panic attack.

He feels a hand on his back, rubbing soothingly.

"Dad," he snaps, a reminder.

"Right, right." The sheriff withdraws his hand. There's an awkward silence.

"So, uh, you weren't around to see my parents?" Laura asks, awkwardly forging ahead.

"No, no. Not 30 or so years ago. I had yet to meet the woman who'd lead me back here to Beacon Hills."

Stiles just keeps focusing on his breathing, hating the prickling feeling of tears in his eyes.

Mum, he thinks, heart wrenching.

He sometimes thinks, chest constricting in the very dead of night when he's completely alone, if she'd have been okay with having a son who dated other boys. She was sunlight and everything good, and Stiles had thought he'd had a relatively minor sexual identity crisis. Making out with Danny in the lockers on an adrenalin high after winning a game, terribly flirting with Derek, pinning Derek to an armchair and kissing him so his sourwolf would get the message.

But then Derek had mentioned the Mating Ceremony and suddenly Stiles had thought, would his mum have approved? Would she have been in the make-shift stands and cheering for him? Or when he brought Derek home several months ago would she have looked at him like she didn't understand who Stiles was anymore? Would she love him a little less because of who he was in love with?

Stiles had been meaning to ask his dad. To gain some closure. Because he was reasonably sure his mum would have been fine with him being bisexual. He was 99% sure. But that 1%, that one niggling doubt was like a poisonous worm eating at his heart. He'd meant to ask his dad, and every time the words had chocked him, stopping him just short. The idea that his mum might have hated him for what he was… he just wanted her here now, to hug her. And for her to be proud of him.

He'd have told Derek about it his worries, but it didn't seem like the sort of thing to say over the phone and he hadn't been allowed physically near him for a whole month.

And now it didn't matter because this was happening anyway, approval or not. He was going to be a part of this stupid Mating Ceremony that important werewolves apparently went through with their mate.

Mate! Mate!?

Things that Derek freaking Hale didn't think were relevant until they were actually happening #55.

"Why didn't you tell me that this kicked in a year after sleeping together!" Stiles had asked.

"I…" Derek gestured, physically struggling against air. "I thought it wouldn't count! You were underage!"

"How…? What?"

Derek sighed. "We're going to have to tell the Hills officials so the Ceremony can be planned. And soon."

"What Ceremony?"

Derek's eyebrows pulled together.

"The Mating Ceremony? What Mating Ceremony, Derek!?"

"The one where… you don't know about the Mating Ceremony?" Derek's face was in the rare but cherish-able 'oh, shit!' phase right now. "Didn't your parents tell you about it?"

"No. No, Derek. They did not. *You* tell me."

"Your parents really didn't even mention it? Not even when they gave you… the talk?"

"I didn't get a talk, Derek. When I was a young teenager I got the 'Mum is with the angels, now' speech. Fucking tell me what is going on right now!"

Derek took a step back. "I- I need to… I need to discuss this with your father."

"Yeah? Well, while you're there, tell him about how you've been banging me since I was 16!"

Derek left without another word.

Eventually Stiles' father and two of the three remaining Hales had explained it to him. Once an alpha or blue-eyed Beta werewolf had been with a mate for a year, whether human or also werewolf, there was a Ceremony to see if their mate would be worthy of potentially being the second in command of a pack one day. Stiles had no idea how chasing him through a maze was supposed to determine that, but whatever. He didn't make the rules. He just had his life continuously fucked over by them.

"Do I want to ask what the ceremony entails?" Stiles had asked. He could physically feel the brooding Derek was doing from upstairs in the Hale house from where they sat gathered in the kitchen as the discussion took place.

"You, uh, and several other potentials are put in a maze-like structure. And Derek, well, his body after a whole year of, uh, mating…"

The Sheriff glared at the tabletop, hands clenched.

"But we weren't, what you say- 'mating', we were just… *having sex*," he mouthed.

"Werewolf anatomy is not very good at telling the difference," Laura said. Peter Hale smirked from over her shoulder.

"After a year of 'sex'," said Peter, "a werewolf's body undergoes certain changes." He smiled indulgently. "We have a Ceremony to see if he will still choose you as his mate even if other options are provided, while under strenuous conditions."

"What are these strenuous conditions?" Stiles asked, feeling protective.

"His body provides those."

And indeed Stiles hadn't seen him in several weeks, but heard rumours he was being kept at the Hale house in the basement.

Apparently Derek had been right about the not-adult thing in one regard. The Hills Officials hadn't wanted to hold the Ceremony until Stiles was actually 18, despite that not happening until a month after the full year of 'mating'.

"But why do we have to wait?" Stiles asked Derek over the phone about a week ago. They hadn't been allowed to see each other face to face since the 'strenuous changes' started up.

Derek never seemed to stop panting, his words heavy and breathy. "Legal reasons," Derek laughed. "The Officials don't want it being known I've slept with a minor while under their watch."

"Well… too late."

"No, no. Stiles… the Ceremony. Didn't they tell you?"

"Yeah, yeah. They put me with a bunch of other werewolves and human teenagers and stuff who are available and might want to be your mate. And then it's like a maze, and you have to pick me. Right?"

"Right, but, Stiles. When I pick you… to make it official…"

"Yeah?"

"I fuck you."

"What?"

"There's tents… places for me to drag you. And then we… make it official. The body changes are complete and I mate you. Properly."

"You're still not making much sense. What does 'properly' entail?"

Derek's panting grows fiercer, bursts of static coming across his phone. "Come over here," Derek growls. "And I'll show you."

"D-Derek?" Stiles puts one hand over the bulge in his jeans, cupping himself.

"Come, now," Derek orders. "I'm in the basement. Come. Here. And I'll show you what I'm going to do to you." His voice sounds barely human and Stiles finds himself panting as well, grinding up into the pleasing roughness of denim mediated by silky boxers. "I'm going to fuck your ass raw. The smell of me is going to seep out of your pores, you'll be so full of me."

"Unf, Derek… Don't tease."

"I'm not teasing. Come here. Come to my house. The front door is never locked. Just come to the house. Say you're getting into your car now."

"Derek, I shouldn't. I have homework stuff-"

"Fuck homework, godammit Stiles, get in your fucking car! Drive over here and come in the door, then down the steps. It's so short. You'll be here in no time. Now, Stiles!" yelled Derek.

Stiles bit his lip. "This is the strenuous circumstances Peter was talking about, huh?"

"Don't. Talk. About. Peter. You're MINE!"

"I'm hanging up now, Derek."

"No, no, no, no don't, Stiles, I'm sorry, I am, just come over, Stiles, come, please. Come for me."

Stiles clenched his eyes shut. "Bye Derek."

And Stiles hadn't even been allowed to call him after that.

Now was the first time he was going to see or speak to his boyfriend in a week. Preparation for the event had been, shower, no soaps, dress in old, comfortable clothing you can run in, then make sure you were well prepared… Lubing himself up that morning, hands down between his thighs while his track pants hung at his knees, watching his face in the mirror, noticing the way his ears were bright pink, because Mayor Finstock had given you a brochure that /heavily recommended/ it was in no way erotic.

Well, Derek may have appreciated the sight. Down, boner, down.

Stiles bit his lip at the memory. "Dad," Stiles said. He made eye contact but quickly looked away. "If I get chosen… well, I'll make sure to call you when it's over."

His dad nodded, looking at the floor.

"And," Stiles sighed, "if he doesn't choose me-" Stiles swallowed a lump in his throat, "promise to make me something nice for dinner?"

"Stiles, I- I hope he picks you. I'm sure he will. And you come over as soon as, well, I don't know how long these things usually take…"

"About a day. Longer, possibly, since there's been such a build-up," Laura answered.

"Okay. Come over for dinner tomorrow or the night after that. Bring Derek."

"Okay, yeah. I will. Thanks dad."

His dad nodded, creases at the corner of his eyes prominent from stress.

"Okay, it should be starting soon," Laura muttered as the crowd outside started cheering.

"You'll be fine," his dad nodded. "I… I love you, kid."

"Love you too dad."

"Have fun," Laura winked as she left. As resident Alpha she got to give the opening address.

Stiles was left alone in the room of a nearby building, palms sweating. He wished Scott had been let in. He wished it didn't feel like he was waiting to go out and fight a Hungarian Horntail. But it'd be fine. Derek would choose him. Then they'd live happily ever after. The end. Yes. Good.

Mayor Finstock poked his head into the room. "Ah, Bilinski. You ready?"

Stiles nodded. He left the safety of the room, missing it immediately. Finstock started heading down a path that'd lead them to the forest. It was a ten minute walk, and then they'd be in the part of the forest where the maze had been constructed.

"Now or never," he muttered.

Finstock laughed loudly. "That's right! Now, there's no need to be nervous. I'm sure this won't go like last time."

"What?" Stiles asked, not really paying attention.

"You, know, a few years ago when Derek ran the Maze?"

"Huh?" Stiles stopped. "How do you mean?"

"You know, he thought he'd found his mate but didn't choose her. Well, didn't choose anyone. Just tried to get out of the maze. Apparently he headed for a local school and had to be shot with tranquilisers. I don't know if your dad was sheriff then, but I'm sure he knows about it."

"What?"

"This isn't Derek's first time running the maze for a potential mate. You knew that, right? About Kate Argent?"

"What!? Who?"

"Look at it this way," Finstock rambled on, "Chances are very high that you'll get out of this alive. Very few people actually die. And if he chooses someone better looking or smarter or more talented or less weird than you, I'm sure you two can still be friends!"

"Uh, thanks, Mayor… I guess." He frowned at the path as they started walking again. Now he was nervous and anxious and furious. Why hadn't Derek mentioned Kate Argent before?"

"No problem." Finstock grinned hugely. "Make me proud."

"Yep."

The maze was built of wooden walls. Cheap stuff, the type a werewolf could easily tear through if it wanted to, but maybe too disorientated to realise. The walls were at least 10 foot high. Stands were built high to accommodate it, set a few meters back. People started cheering when they looked down and saw him approaching.

There was a door, currently open, in the fence. Finstock looked down at him, chuckled randomly "ahahaha-HA", and then pushed him through. The door shut him behind him and he was in a maze. It was dark and cool, sunlight not getting through, not being high enough in the day yet. He started walking/stumbling to the right, listening out.

"And with the last addition to the maze, let the hunt begin!" Laura cried over some loudspeakers. Stiles froze, listening. The crowd was going wild, then suddenly began to roar in a frenzy and Stiles figured something important had just happened.

Derek had been let loose.

Stiles' heart started pounding and he started to run. The first video camera he saw, he wasn't surprised. Of course if he couldn't see the crowd, they couldn't see him. He was probably up on a video screen somewhere. He raised his hand to wave, then thought, what the fuck are you doing? and aborted the movement. Great. Now he looked like a moron in front of the majority of the Beacon Hills community. He'd been in here, what, 30 seconds?

Stiles started jogging. The crowd roared. Stiles almost wished for a commentator just to know what the hell was going on, and Satan himself must have heard him because not two seconds longer Mayor Finstock was crowing over the PA, "Did you see that!?"

*See what?*

"And that is why you take no for an answer from Derek Hale. Learn a lesson kids. If he doesn't want you, don't stand in the way."

Oh, good. How many people were in here anyway-

"As you all know, we have 20 potentials plus Bilinsky in the maze today. Personally, I feel we could have done better. It is after all the Alpha's little brother, but whatever, and oh, what's this? Could this be over already? Fellow werewolf Erica Reyes is making a move. Ah-hum. Oh, my. That was quite some kiss. How *will* Derek respond?" Finstock sounded like a cheesy dating show host.

"Don't choose Erica over me," Stiles begged. Oh wait, cameras, shut up!

And then a few seconds later, he heard his own words echoed back a thousand time louder over the PA.

"Don't choose Erica over me."

"Wow, Bilinsky is already begging like a desperate ex. And I would be too if my boyfriend were circling one Jackson Whitmore like that."

"No!" Not. Jackson. "Derek," Stiles called out in a small voice to Derek's super werewolf-ears. "De-rek," he sung lightly as if he were about to go, 'here kitty, kitty'. There was someone up ahead, and Stiles started jogging. Isaac.

"Oh, hey Stiles," Isaac said.

"What are you doing here?"

Isaac smirked. "I volunteered."

Stiles wasn't fully conscious of the urge to hit Isaac until his fist was rebounding off the other boy's face.

"And it looks like Bilinsky has decided to take out some of the competition on his own."

…

…

Perhaps I'll expand in the future but it's not looking likely in the short term. Thanks for reading. Reviews are appreciated :-]


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